Saturday, March 11, 2006

Biggest Maverick Candidates

Mr. Rauterkus and Mr. Krane could be characterized as two of the biggest maverick candidates.

Mr. Rauterkus believes the best way to make the city attractive again is by getting neighborhood youths more involved in activities. He claims the problem with juvenile delinquency makes this part of the city unattractive and unsavory for any one planning to raise a family to want to move to this area.

Mr. Rauterkus is a father who has been actively involved in his children's activities, particularly as a club swim team coach based at the Oliver Bath House on the South Side.

Someone in the audience questioned Mr. Rauterkus about this idea, noting that there are too many un-supervised children who do not get involved in activities anyway because of the bad home environment they live in.

Mr. Rauterkus, a graduate of Ohio University's journalism school, says he comes from a multi-generational family of teachers who have invested in the city. He wants other families with young children to join him in helping to make the city vibrant.

He said he and his wife Catherine Palmer, a professor at Pitt, have stood 'against the wave of young adults leaving the region�.'

District 3 candidates meet with members of the 30th Ward Block WatchDavid Assad 28.FEB.06

Candidates' Night for the vacant District 3 city council seat went off without a hitch at the Knoxville 30th Ward Block Watch meeting Feb. 22 at St. Sava Church on Knox Ave.Seven registered candidates appeared. All of them pledged to work hard to help the residents of a once-proud neighborhood that has deteriorated over the past 10 years due to an absentee landlord problem.Newly-appointed Zone 3 commander RaShall Brackney was also at the meeting, promising to use �all available resources� to fight the growing crime rate in the area related to drug-dealing, prostitution, armed robbery and burglary.The commander is a resident of the East End section of the city where she worked in a police supervisory capacity and said she was able to make a big impact on the crime problems in that part of the city.Mrs. Brackney attended the Knoxville meeting to introduce herself to the local residents and community leaders. She remained at the meeting after her presentation to listen to candidates who want to fill the remaining months of the council term vacated by Gene Ricciardi. The special election is March 14.The candidates include Democratic nominee Jeffrey S. Koch, Green Party candidate Jason Phillips, Republican Neal Andrus, Libertarian Party candidate Mark Rauterkus along with independents Bruce A. Kraus, Bruce Krane and Matthew Bartus.Mr. Koch and Mr. Bartus have been municipal employees for 25 years and say they are familiar with every neighborhood in the city due to their work experience.Both pledge to put more resources and manpower into public works as a way of keeping the city neighborhoods more attractive.If elected, Mr. Koch continued his pledge to have Warrington Avenue, between Beltzhoover Avenue and Route 51, immediately repaved because of the deplorable condition of the road.Mr. Bartus and Mr. Rauterkus both emphasized the need to eliminate the Urban Redevelopment Authority TIFs. They say this program has indirectly caused many city services to be eliminated or drastically reduced. The TIFs have awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in hand-outs and tax breaks to large corporations and nonprofit organizations for many years while the city has invested little in established neighborhoods. Mr. Bartus and Mr. Andrus believe the Pittsburgh Parking Authority should relinquish ownership of its land and parking garages and turn them over to private enterprise to put them back on the tax rolls.Candidates such as Mr. Krane and Mr. Bartus also believe there should be term limits for council members of no more than eight years (two four-year terms).Mr. Bartus, Mr. Krane and Mr. Andrus also believe that council should be a five-person body and not the current make-up of nine members.Most of the candidates brought campaign literature with them to the meeting. Mr. Koch emphasized his long-time involvement in the Arlington community where he resides and serves on several boards, including the Arlington Recreation Advisory Council.Mr. Andrus, who is the second youngest candidate at age 30, has lived in the district for eight years and is a graduate of Pitt with a degree in political science and economics.This was the first community candidate�s night that Mr. Andrus attended. In his campaign literature, Mr. Andrus says he was a city employee for seven years (but does not indicate what job he held). He said he decided to run for city council �in order to bring a different perspective toward financial issues facing the city. The status quo is no longer working and we need bold new ideas to make the city stable again.�Mr. Rauterkus and Mr. Krane could be characterized as two of the biggest maverick candidates.Mr. Rauterkus believes the best way to make the city attractive again is by getting neighborhood youths more involved in activities. He claims the problem with juvenile delinquency makes this part of the city unattractive and unsavory for any one planning to raise a family to want to move to this area.Mr. Rauterkus is a father who has been actively involved in his children�s activities, particularly as a club swim team coach based at the Oliver Bath House on the South Side.Someone in the audience questioned Mr. Rauterkus about this idea, noting that there are too many un-supervised children who do not get involved in activities anyway because of the bad home environment they live in.Mr. Rauterkus, a graduate of Ohio University�s journalism school, says he comes from a multi-generational family of teachers who have invested in the city. He wants other families with young children to join him in helping to make the city vibrant.He said he and his wife Catherine Palmer, a professor at Pitt, have stood �against the wave of young adults leaving the region�.A Washington & Jefferson graduate, Mr. Krane has lived in the South Side for 16 years where he has been a member of its community council, which included serving on its board as vice-president for several years. He characterizes himself as an activist and reformist who has been involved in �multi-million dollar� businesses in the private sector.Mr. Krane said that solving all the ills of the neighborhoods will not happen unless the city�s financial crisis is corrected. The city has been declared bankrupt since 2003 and local government has been under the scrutiny of two state review boards. However, the city still fights a battle to balance its budget that has been cut to a minimum.Without the resources and revenues of the past, Mr. Krane believes it will be difficult to solve the problems of the neighborhoods. He has said during previous meetings that community organizations are the primary entities that keep neighborhoods from further deteriorating. He said neighborhoods like Knoxville have been neglected for too long by city government and residents should not expect that to change unless massive reform takes place on Grant Street.He said millions of dollars are wasted because professional services (engineering, law and accounting) are awarded fat contracts by the city without being put up for scrutiny through the competitive bid process.Krane said the mayor of the city is elected via large campaign contributions by these professionals who expect favors through contracts (that no one else can bid for) once the mayor is in office.�You all know what your problems are so I don�t have to tell you about them,� Krane said. �Pittsburgh has no money to pay for [services]. It�s the residents and the little mom and pop businesses in the community that pay taxes while the big corporations are not paying their fair share in taxes. If you want someone to shake up the system, then I�m your man.�Mr. Kraus and Mr. Phillips disputed Mr. Krane�s assumption that city council can do little to help the neighborhoods without sufficient funding sources. Both say there are creative ways to raise the quality of life in blighted neighborhoods. However, neither gave specifics on how to improve the quality of life. Mr. Kraus said everyone needs to be held accountable for the condition of the neighborhood and every one has a responsibility to get involved.Mr. Kraus, the president of the South Side Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. Phillips, an active member of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association, said they have been active members of local community organizations for years and have hands-on experience in working with residents and other community leaders. - Contributing Writer